David Hodges’ Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Nephew
by sexyspork
Summary: [HP crossover] [Slash hints] Part 2. David’s nephew is staying with him, but that doesn’t mean they’ll get along.


Title: David Hodges' Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Nephew

By sexyspork

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: One-sided Nick/David hints

Spoilers: End of HBP with changes

Warning: Language, mentions of past adultery, mentions of past prostitution, mentions of child abuse/neglect, and beware of cheesy clichés and _deus ex machina_.

Summary: David's nephew is staying with him, but that doesn't mean they'll get along.

Part 2 of my Harry Potter crossover of a (not so) different kind.

-------

David Hodges, by nature, was not a family man. Hell, if he could barely get along with those of his own species on a day-to-day basis, it really shouldn't be a surprise that he rarely was in a relationship, let alone in a relationship that could forge more permanent ties down the line.

So, sitting in the food court at the largest mall in Vegas on a Friday night, people really wouldn't be shocked to note that he was questioning life and God in general. Because either he had the worst karma on earth (_which wouldn't be a surprise but that was more of a certain Texan's domain_) or whatever Power-That-Be was controlling his life at the moment had to be having the time of her life (_only a woman could be cruel enough to put him through this_).

Because sitting across from him was one sulky sixteen-year-old boy and David didn't have a _clue_ as how to deal with him.

To be honest, Harry probably didn't know how to act around him either, and given what McGonagall had told him about his half-sister and her husband in that clipped, furious tone, he could understand why. Those two, whatever her name was and her pig of a husband, were _incredibly_ screwed up. And if McGonagall hadn't explained the situation to him, he'd be offended that the bitch had been chosen over him to take care of the boy (_Min's excuse was they hadn't known that he existed and David decided it was to keep a closer watch on the boy, damn the consequences, because you couldn't forge a weapon that was half a world away_).

So far, they had been shopping for the brat because David refused to allow him to continue the whole "I'm an orphan, pity me!" look, and it was also a good ice-breaker between two males who hadn't known the other existed five days earlier. It also gave David more time to figure out what to do with a boy that would be staying with him for the whole summer. Because Catherine may have a fall-back plan for her teenage daughter, but David really had no one and was quite in the dark.

So between several books, a couple of bags of clothing, some new glasses (_because the only thing holding the old ones together was tape and prayers_), David was wiped; figuratively, physically, and financially. He'd known kids were tough, but now he had a whole new level of respect for parents (_not Catherine though, because that woman couldn't raise a child to save her life_).

So now they were sitting down to grab a bite to eat, and David was praying it'd draw the kid out of his self-imposed moody emo silence, because if there was one thing that David could not stand (_aside from stupid people_), it was emo teenagers. And as he was picking half-heartedly at whatever meal he'd gotten, David was still waiting for a sign from above that he was doing this whole "bonding thing" correctly.

And as if the PTB (_the one that was screwing with his life_) was listening, his sign appeared.

"Hey, Uncle Dave?" The soft, slightly less angry British voice of his nephew caught David's attention, and he didn't even notice the nick-name until it would be too late. The look of suspicion (_the one that looked so familiar that it fucking **hurt**_) was slowly fading, as was the anger and irritation. Sheepishness and embarrassment had taken their place, and David was simply exhausted just _looking_ at all the emotions Harry was going through.

"Yes?" He ruthlessly squashed the flicker of hope before it could take root.

"I'm…thanks."

David took a sip of his drink to hide his grin, _maybe this parenting thing won't be so bad_, he couldn't help but think.

"You're welcome. Now finish your food, you're as skinny as a _rail_ and like hell I'm getting child services over here to investigate my skills as a guardian."

Because if David was going to do this, he was going to do it _right_.

-------

And for the rest of the weekend, and the beginning of the week, things went well. And when David looks back at this short period of time, he'd concede to the fact that things went a little _too_ well, and that he should have been expecting the other shoe to drop. But he hadn't, and so when the irritated looking homicide detective known as Jim Brass wandered into the trace lab, he had been caught unawares.

"Hey, Hodges."

David turned from the microscope and an eyebrow quirked in a silent question. This was…odd. Although they knew each other in passing, there was no interaction between the two men who walked totally different circuits. And while David may work in the lab, Brass mainly dealt with the CSIs out in the field instead of mingling with lowly technicians.

"You got a kid by the name of 'Harry Potter' staying with you?"

A cold chill of foreboding raced down David's spine, and an image of Harry laying out on one of Doc Robbins' tables lodged itself in his mind.

"Yes. Is-" He swallowed convulsively and whispered, "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, the brat got in a fight in the nastier part of town; he was in a bar and was apparently trying to get a drink and broke one of my guy's noses. He said your name a couple times, and I figured I'd check it out before deciding what to do."

David closed his eyes in an attempt to gain control over his temper. Erupting like Vesuvius was not going to help, and all he really wanted to do was to wring his nephew's neck. _WHAT THE HELL HAD HE BEEN THINKING?!_

Taking a deep breath through his nose and counting to ten in three different languages, David reopened his eyes to see curiosity flash through Brass'.

"He's my nephew." David ground out, jaw clenched and he knew his blood pressure was sky-rocketing. "And I suppose he wants me to pick him up?"

"He's in the lobby, actually." David was not surprised to see amusement flash through the jaded cops eyes, and the trace tech gave him a feral grin, one too full of teeth and anger.

David didn't bother answering; he just walked out of his lab with a snickering detective not far behind him.

He walked through the halls as he normally would, but apparently human survival instincts were working overtime tonight because employees were scattering out of his way for their very lives. David wasn't really paying attention to them though, so later on he would hear an amusing rendition from a Greg Sanders who lacked said survival inclinations and had been loitering in the hallways when David Hodges stormed past in all his furious glory.

But, at the moment, David was just trying to calm himself down enough so he didn't kill the stupid boy the second he saw him, because he was feeling downright homicidal at the moment. McGonagall had left Harry in David's possession for the sole reason that the boy would be safer. Wandering the streets of Vegas at night could _not_ have been what she had in mind.

Stepping through the doors, David instantly took note of his sullen nephew sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair with two police officers standing on each side of him. Grinding his teeth together once more, David walked over slowly until he was standing in front of Harry. With a motion from Jim, both officers fled for their lives at the sight of the livid trace technician.

Harry tried to glare up at his uncle, but flinched as blue eyes bored into his very soul (_Harry was insanely grateful, at this moment, that David was not a wizard because he was sure his uncle would have been very skilled at legimens_). David crossed his arms in front of his chest, fingers digging so forcefully into his biceps that he knew he was going to have bruises to show for it later, but it was also the only thing that was stopping him from hitting the boy upside the head for being so _stupid_ and _reckless!_

"When you came to live with me," David's voice wasn't any higher than a whisper, and Brass had to strain his ears to hear him. "What were the two things that I said had to be obeyed no matter what?"

Harry sulked, slouching further into his chair, and mumbled, "To not break the law and to not leave the apartment when you were at work."

"And what two rules, the _only_ two rules, did you specifically break?"

"But it wasn't my _fault-_" Harry began, only to be cut off quickly with a snarl from his uncle.

"We are not going to have this argument here, while I am at work." David started, shifting from foot to foot to avoid the urge to pace. "I gave you a liberal amount of trust Harry, and you _broke_ it. So there will be consequences. But at the moment you are going to sit here, and do nothing. You are not going to talk, walk, or do _anything_. The only reason you are allowed to _breathe _is because it is a biological necessity. And when I get off work, we are going to have a very long conversation about your liberties for the rest of the summer."

Gesturing to the officer that was always on duty in the lobby, David gave Harry a chilling smile. "Do you see this nice gentleman? He's going to be your babysitter until I'm done."

"That's not _fair_!"

"For every action, there is a reaction." David said softly, "Now you have to deal with the consequences to what you've done."

"Did your mum ever think of the consequences of sleeping with my grandfather? Because you must have been one _hell_ of a mistake for a prostitute to make!"

David froze at the snide statement, and Harry continued to glare at him beneath black bangs. Fingers dug deeper into his skin until his knuckles turned white, and Brass shifted slightly behind him, the family feud no longer quite so amusing.

"We're not having this conversation now." And with that, David turned around to stalk back to his lair.

Jim Brass gave the sulky teen a look before heading off to his next assignment, refusing to get any more involved than he already was, while the poor officer who had been assigned the babysitting duty watched on in frozen horror at his new task. But there was going to be new rumors floating around the water cooler, that was to be sure…

Hours went by, and everyone continued to tip-toe around the trace lab like it was going to blow any minute. Word had already passed around the technicians, but the CSIs (_being a whole different species_) were only getting a glean or two until Brass had filled them in on the blow-up between Hodges and his nephew. So, of course, people began to pass the lobby for the simple sake of getting a glimpse of the boy while he was at the lab.

The Lab Rats, being the smart people that they are, deduced everything pretty quickly; from David's behavior last week, his day-off on Friday, and the subsequent good moods he had been in the past few days. Jacqui, of course, had wanted to talk to David about the falling out with Harry, but Ronnie quickly persuaded her that it probably wasn't the best time to do so (_God bless Milky Ways_). So for now, everything was still, like calm waters with turbulent depths.

And as the time passed, the red that David had been seeing slowly faded away until it was nothing but a distant memory. Sighing, and feeling so much older than he was, David was glad/depressed when the shift finally ended. Ignoring Jacqui's concerned looks and Grissom's speculative ones had been trying, and he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and ignore the rest of world.

Rubbing the back of his neck wearily, David walked towards the lobby only to see Harry curled up in his chair, sleeping fitfully. Watching him with sad blue eyes, David wondered if he had made the incorrect choice in his decision to take Harry in. He had known he wouldn't make a good parent, but knew he could be better than his no-good half-sister. Here, people were arrested for less than what she did, yet she was walking around like she did absolutely nothing wrong.

Sighing slightly, David shook Harry's shoulder to wake the teen. It was time to go home.

-------

The drive back to his apartment was uncomfortably silent, as Harry was glaring half-heartedly out the window and David was just watching the road as he mentally went over the week, trying to figure out what he did wrong. The walk and elevator ride up to his apartment was even worse, and David was sure he was going to die of asphyxiation from all the pressure that was building around the two relatives.

He turned his key in the lock and the resounding _click_ sounded like a gunshot that made them both jump slightly. Walking in and pausing in the middle of his living room just as the sun was peering into the window, David watched Harry out of the corner of his eye. The teen was on edge and angry and ready to lash out at anything that got too close. Running a hand through grey-streaked hair, David smiled wryly as he threw his keys on the counter.

"Go to bed. We'll talk when I get up."

Others might take this as a sign of weakness, as giving Harry a win that shouldn't have been conceded. The way David saw it, however, they were both pissed and hurt, and if they talked now, things would go from bad to worse. At least sleep would give them a chance to cool down.

A few tense moments passed before Harry nodded jerkily, heading to his room and David knew the boy's nightmares wouldn't haunt him tonight as he probably was too exhausted. Walking to his own room at the end of the hall, David sat on the edge of his bed with his face in his hands.

He had thought he wasn't going to sleep, but within moments, David fell into a restless slumber.

When David awoke, it was to the smells of a non-apology breakfast. Of course, he hadn't known that until he walked groggily into his kitchen, blinking and rubbing his eyes as he tried to wake up. David's sleep fogged brain took note of Harry's tense jaw and icy green glare, and shut down until he got a cup or two of coffee into his system.

They ate scrambled eggs and bacon in silence, the scraping of forks against ceramic obscenely loud. When he finished, David sipped his coffee as he watched his nephew eat in brooding silence. The teenager looked at his half-eaten meal before throwing his utensil onto his plate irritably. David simply took another swallow of his drink before he set his mug down to gather up the dirty dishes.

David could feel Harry's gaze burning into his back as he washed the dishes, but he ignored it at the moment. He had counted on Harry being a little less angry when he got up, but that plan was shot to hell. So now David was trying to figure out how to have the needed conversation without his nephew blowing up at him. Looking up into his reflection in the window over the sink, he smirked at himself. _Ah, what the hell. Screw it._

Shaking his hands free of excess water, David was drying his hands on a small towel as he plopped back into his chair. Picking up his cooling mug and lounging like he owned the place (_which he did_), David grinned coldly into his coffee.

"This is how things are going to work from now on. When I leave for work at six, you are going to have a babysitter." He ignored Harry's furious exclamation of "_What!_"

"And the nights I can't have someone watch you, you'll come into work with me. You might even learn something."

"You can't do that!"

David fixed dark blue eyes onto his nephew. "I've been given guardianship of you for the rest of the summer. I'm not your friend, I am your _parent_, and I will treat you like the child you are if you misbehave."

"You're not my father." Harry snarled, jumping up from his seat as his chair was thrown backwards. David ignored his nephew's burst of temper and finished the last of his much needed caffeine boost.

"No, he's dead. Get over it."

David really should have anticipated it, but the fist flying towards him was totally unexpected and caught him unawares. His head snapped back from the force of the punch that caught his jaw as his cup was knocked from his grasp and shattered against the floor.

Both men froze, Harry from realization of his actions and David from the shock of it all. David turned his head slowly to watch his nephew, and was surprised to see the boy drawing in into himself. David was pissed, but a good hunk of it came from knowing it was his brother-in-laws fault that Harry was now expecting retaliation.

And that's not to say David didn't want to pop his ass, but even he knew Harry had to be dealt with in a…special manner. Because David would bet his life savings that the boy had never been given therapy, and had half a mind to set up an appointment for him with the LVCL's psychologist.

Gritting his teeth together, David looked Harry in the eye. "You're not the only person on the planet to have lost a parent. Every night I go to work, at least one case in my box involves a child loosing either a mother or father."

David paused for a second, "I was regaled with stories of your strength and heroism from your teacher, but I have yet to see either of those traits. Grow up, Harry. You can't be both a hero and a selfish bastard."

Hey, he didn't have to be nice about it. And personally, he would rather Harry be a selfish bastard than a hero, seeing as hero's always were the first to die.

"I'm not the one who was a bastard, now was I, _uncle_?"

"Don't change the subject."

Green eyes hardened and David had no problem meeting them.

"I never asked to be a hero."

David snorted, "Do you think I asked to be a bastard?"

"I don't see much of a comparison." Harry shot back.

"I didn't ask for a lot of things, but I lived."

"It's not fair." David swallowed hard at Harry's heartbroken whisper.

"Life wasn't fair when my mother died and left me alone when I was nine. Life screws us over, and we must learn to roll right back."

"I didn't know your mum died…"

David bit back bitter laughter. "And I didn't have a father, as you so kindly keep pointing out…" He eyed his nephew for a moment, a dark smile twisting across his face. "So tell me, Harry, what's worse? Never knowing your parents or knowing them and then loosing everything?"

The silence was heavy and weighed everything down.

David sighed, feeling like the world was resting on his shoulders. "Under my roof, you follow my rules. End of discussion."

And it was.

-------

The next few weeks were hellishly hard. Work was demanding but David considered himself lucky enough that no one really questioned the large bruise on his jaw other than give it a few curious looks. They probably just assumed he had said the wrong thing and pissed off the wrong person. Jacqui, of course, hadn't asked but demanded, and David had given her a condensed version and she, surprisingly, had backed off for the time being.

Harry was no longer blowing up at him, but they no longer had that easy camaraderie that had been present in those first few days. Silences were long and tense, and Harry would always speak with either an angry or defensive note in his tone. And that made conversations, when they happened, short and stilted and harder than ever.

David did thank God for Mrs. Jacobs though, the only woman on earth who had been able to tame a young David Hodges before and after his mother's death, and she was the only one David would turn to to watch his nephew. And seeing as she didn't allow any of his crap when he had been young, he knew Harry was in good hands while he was working.

One night, however, the status quo changed.

David pulled the paper off his printer with a smirk, instantly breaking down the information, re-assimilating it, and then placing it in its correct category in his mind. He was so good, and couldn't wait to share his brilliance with the world. Walking out of his lab, Jacqui appeared at his elbow with an easy grin.

"Going to Grissom?"

He nodded, "He told me to come find him as soon as I was done."

Jacqui flashed some papers in his face. "He told me the same thing. It's the cop-killer case."

David had known that, and everyone from the cops to the CSI to the techs were on edge, because cop-killers made everyone jumpy. He mock-sighed to fill in the depressive atmosphere, "I remember the days when we made them come to us…"

"Should we hold their evidence hostage?" Jacqui asked, easily matching his mood, because she hated cases like these just as much as she hated the ones that involved children.

"And ask for a ransom in chocolate."

Jacqui shot him an amused look as the rounded a corner towards the interrogation rooms. "I knew there was a reason I loved you."

"Not for my good looks and intelligence? For shame!"

The fingerprints technician laughed easily, and the sight of a man arguing with Brass in the hall caught both Lab Rats attention.

"That's the suspect," Jacqui said softly as they both slowed down. Grissom and Nick were on either side of the homicide captain, but both techs knew better than to bother the Night Supervisor when he was with a suspect, because if he merely ripped into one of his CSI, what would he do to one of them?

But when the man grabbed Nick Stokes' gun, David shoved Jacqui aside as the cops that had been looking for a chance to jump the suspect did so, and he knew techs had no place in something like this. The roar of a gunshot mingled with the shouts that had been filling the air and then everything abruptly went silent.

David was flying backwards, air whistling against his skin and it felt like he fell for an eternity. Landing hard on his back, David sucked in a breath as sounds shifted and were drowned out by the roaring in his ears, but he had no problem hearing Jacqui's terrified scream of _"**DAVID**!"_

The pain hit him suddenly and David gasped out in agony, fighting to breathe as something was blocking his airways. Coughing and struggling to acquire much needed oxygen, blood spattered all over on Jacqui's face and blouse as she crouched next to him. Her white shirt no longer quite as white as her face, and David prayed she wouldn't hit him for ruining her favorite top. Nick Stokes panicked expression joined next to Jacqui's, and that was the scene that sent David into darkness.

-------

It was Harry's yelling that brought him to the waking world, and David glared half-heartedly at the beeping machines that he was hooked up to as he strived to beat back the fog that seemed to encompass his mind. Glancing around, a feeble sneer crossed his lips. A hospital room, how charming.

Pressing the call button, the nurse came in as the shouting stopped, and before she could inquire or begin the check-up, David waved her over. Pulling down the mask that had been covering his mouth, and ignoring her look, David rasped out, "Tell him he can wake the dead."

Brown eyes blinked in confusion, "Mr. Hodges, I must-"

"Tell my nephew that." He ordered, glad that this nurse seemed relatively green around the gills, because any RN with experience simply would have ignored his demands and done their job. Experienced registered nurses were like Jacqui on steroids.

Slowly after cautious consideration, she nodded as she carefully replaced his breathing mask and left the room. A few moments of quiet and David jumped slightly when his door flew open as Harry ignored the nurse ordering him to get out. Green eyes filled with tears met David's drug-glazed blue ones, and a small sob choked past Harry's lips as he threw himself at his uncle.

David ignored the jolt of pain the lanced its way up his spine as Harry buried his face into his uncle's shoulder, fingers clinging to David desperately. David waved away the nurse who looked like she was seconds from calling security, and wrapped his shaky arms around his nephew uneasily.

Hearing but not really registering Harry's high speed babble, David drifted back to darkness.

The second time he woke, sunlight was streaming through the windows and Harry was curled up in a chair asleep. David grimaced at the gummy feeling in his mouth and the fact that he knew drugs were coursing through his system made the entire situation worse. Struggling to sit up, a slight laugh broke the silence.

Turning his head to chew out whoever was mocking his efforts, David blinked in surprise at the sight of Mrs. Jacobs sitting in a chair next to his bed. She chuckled and set down the rather larger book in her hands and pulled off her reading glasses. Stern green eyes watched him, and David suddenly felt like the boy who had put roaches in his mother's pimp's car and had lied about it.

"You love scaring the good Lord out of people, don't you, David?" The old woman began softly, running a frail hand through shock white hair. "Always have, and always will, I imagine."

"You know me, always getting into trouble..." David said uneasily, a knot growing in his stomach. This whole "I'm an innocent old woman, as weak as a kitten, so don't mind me" wasn't going to work, but he couldn't call her on it as it made him feel a bit guilty when she turned those big green tear-filled eyes onto him.

The silence stretched for a moment before Mrs. Jacobs slapped David upside the head with her monstrosity of a book. Hissing out in pain, David clutched the now throbbing area as he glared at the old woman who was the closest thing he had to a grandmother. She simply ignored him and reopened her book while stating, "Go back to sleep, I'll wake you for lunch."

David harrumphed and decided he didn't want to deal with the world right now as he pulled the covers over his head to ignore the snickering old biddy at his side.

Days passed in a haze of drugs and pain, but night was falling when David woke with a clear head for the first time in what felt like years. The majority of the machines were gone, Harry wasn't there and David assumed visiting hours were over and Mrs. Jacobs had taken the boy home.

Running a hand through stringy hair, David frowned with disgust and sighed explosively. He was tired of lying here, tired of being in the hospital, period, and wanted to go home. This place was depressing and all the Get Well cards only made it worse. Because he knew the majority of the people that sent them were probably disheartened that he had pulled through and David didn't want to deal with their hypocritical bullshit right now.

The door opened and David stared at Nick Stokes in shock as the CSI froze at the sight of the conscious trace technician. The CSI smiled sheepishly, as he probably hadn't been expecting David to be awake, but really, he couldn't sleep _all_ the time.

"Hey, Hodges, how are you feeling?"

The look David gave him made the poor man wince.

"Sorry, stupid question."

Silence stretched and David bit back a growl, instead he waved his IV'ed arm in the general vicinity of the chair. "Take a seat."

"I was picking up some evidence from another case," Nick said as he sat down, waving a plastic bag filled with clothes, "And I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Fine enough, I suppose. How long was I out?" David said grudgingly, tempted to get a doctor in here to see when he could go home.

"Two weeks." David's eyes widened in shock at this new information. "You were doing fine in the first couple of days until you developed an infection. Almost went into respiratory failure."

"Christ," David murmured and they both feel silent. David pondered everything for a few moments, wondering how in the hell Mrs. Jacobs had put up with Harry for half a month. But the he decided she deserved it, as it was probably _her_ fault he got worse. It was the dark look on Nick's face that drew David out of internal ponderings so he leaned over and flicked the CSI square in the forehead.

"Stop brooding, it wasn't your fault." David simply did not have the energy necessary to put up with a gloomy Texan.

Nick opened his mouth to protest and if David had a pen or a pipette, he would have thrown it at him. He didn't have either of those on hand, so the trace tech simply flicked the other man once again. Nick's hand flew up to cover the reddening patch of skin, and he sent David a sharp look.

"I'm not going to argue with you. I'm right, as always, and you're going to listen to me whether you like it or not." David said, tone booking no room for argument. He dealt with a nephew that was an emo teenager with more issues than everyone at the LVCL put together (_and with Sara, Nick, and David alone, that was a hell of a lot of issues_), so a petulant CSI was no trouble at all.

"Hodges-"

"Here's a thought, you call me David and we say were even!" He said mockingly, eyes wide with fake innocence and his heart stopped when Nick smiled that broad, sexy-as-hell grin of his.

"It's not even, but it's a start," Nick said easily and David rolled his eyes. Just as long as the man didn't brood in his presence, David really didn't care.

"See ya later, David."

With a grin and a wave, he was gone, and David had to resist the urge to commit suicide via pillow. The floppy, nervous feeling in his stomach was blamed on the drugs.

-------

"I think you should stay a couple of more days."

David bit back an aggravated sigh as he continued to button up his shirt and he ignored Mrs. Jacobs amused titter, because of course she found his exasperation funny; probably thought it was deserved recompense for everything he put her through when he was young. Turning to look Harry in the eye, David quirked an eyebrow.

"What is it going to take for you to understand that I am fine?"

"You still have bandages to change, what if you get another infection?"

"I'm on every antibiotic known to man and I do know how to change dirty strips of gauze. A little hydrogen peroxide and I'll be fine."

Harry's frown grew more pronounced. "You just got off your deathbed, and the doctors are just letting you leave?"

David glanced at Mrs. Jacobs and her green eyes glowed with understanding. She nodded as she collected her book and her purse, and silently shut the door behind her. Facing Harry once more as he grabbed his jacket to pull it on, David struggled to find the correct words to say.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

The question agitated his nephew more, and Harry got up from the chair he had been sitting in and began to pace.

"You almost died." He finally answered grudgingly.

"I pulled through."

"The doctors said there was nothing they could," Harry began softly, "So I asked for a favor…"

David froze, "It was bad enough that you had to use hocus pocus on me?"

"You were dying, what was I supposed to do?" Harry asked defensively.

The silence stretched and then David swallowed hard. "You had better not have made a deal that screws you over or I'm going to kick your ass."

"I wrote Professor McGonagall. She sent the school healer to look at you one night and whatever she did must have worked, since the infection was fading by the nurse's next round." Harry's gave a ghost of a smile. "It stumped the doctors to no end…"

David sat on the edge of the bed that had been his prison for almost three weeks, and watched his nephew pace for a few moments.

"You didn't have to write her…"

Harry froze and then whipped around to glare at his uncle. "I'm tired of watching people die."

_I'm tired of watching people I care about die…_

David smirked (_smiled, but he could no longer tell the difference_) and opened his arms slightly in a silent invitation. Harry watched him for a moment, wary and unsure, before burying himself in his uncle's embrace.

"I still think you are a bastard." Harry mumbled, and David just continued to smirk (_a real one this time_).

"You're ruining the moment, brat."

And when Mrs. Jacobs came back to find them in that position, she said not one word but helped David finish collecting the rest of his stuff.

-------

"Why do I have to keep all this crap? I say we burn it."

Jacqui shot him a look as she continued to arrange the cards in a pleasing manner along the counter of his kitchen. David scowled as Harry smirked across from him, the boy handing another card to the fingerprints technician.

"It's the polite thing to do, so if anyone visits they can see that you kept their card."

"If anyone visits, it must mean you'd have a date and couldn't come torture me. But hell would have to freeze first, now wouldn't it?"

David was smacked across the head as Mrs. Jacobs took a seat next to him at the bar, and Jacqui shot her a grateful look.

"Now I know that's not how I taught you treat a lady, David Hodges." She said sternly, calmly sipping her cup of tea.

David had to bit his lip to remark on how he thought no ladies had been present. But then he'd have not one, but two dangerous women out for his hide. So he looked at Ronnie, who was cooking dinner, for aid.

"I'm not getting involved; I have a wife and daughters in case you've forgotten." The QD technician muttered in a way of an apology.

"Traitor." David said, but it lacked real venom.

Jacqui snickered as Harry handed her another card, and Archie bounced into the room waving a DVD case.

"Guess what I brought!" He didn't wait, because anyone who knew him (_and many who didn't_) would guess right on the money. "Star Trek Voyager! 'Cause Jacqui would like the captain, and I knew David would like Q."

"Q?"

"Q of the Q."

"Q of the Q?" David said, confusion crossing his face.

"Q of the Q." Archie said solemnly, "He's like you David, but only has the supreme power of the universe."

David smirked, "Of course he's like me."

Archie then grinned at Jacqui, "This actually reminds me why I'm thankful David's not a mutant or anything…"

"Anything I'd like?" Bobby asked while throwing some popcorn into the microwave, interrupting David before he could start, and ignoring Ronnie's "What about dinner?"

"Explosions and peon deaths…?" Archie said hesitantly and Bobby shrugged.

"Good enough."

The doorbell rang, and David glared at Harry when the boy yelled out, "Door's open!"

"It could be an ax-wielding murderer and we'd all be dead." He said with a scowl that Harry ignored with a grin. A hesitant Nick Stokes shuffled into the room, holding up two plastics bags as peace offerings. David turned his glare onto Jacqui, who simply grinned.

"He visited you everyday, so he deserves to go to the David Hodges' 'I'm Not Dead Yet' party."

"I brought ice-cream." Nick said slowly, watching the techs like they were wild animals that were going to rip him to pieces. Jacqui was at his side in an instant, giving him an easy grin as she took the bags to put the frozen goods in the freezer.

"Take a seat where ever, David doesn't mind."

David muttered into his cup as Mrs. Jacobs shot him a look.

Nick grinned again and took a seat next to a smirking Harry.

A rap on the front door echoed through the apartment, and David glanced at Jacqui with an _"Anyone else?" _expression.She shrugged at him though, glanced at Harry, he shrugged as well, and David rolled his eyes. Pulling himself out of his chair, he blinked when Nick jumped up and motioned for him to sit back down.

"I'll get it."

"I'm not a damn invalid." David muttered to the CSI's back.

A moment or two passed, and Minerva McGonagall walked leisurely into the room with Nick following closely behind her. Harry froze and David nodded his head slowly in greeting.

"Mr. Hodges, may I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course." Sliding off his stool, David walked into the next room with the older woman entering behind him. Ignoring the prickly feeling of eyes on the back of his head and the fact that Harry had followed them, the trace technician and the Headmistress of Hogwarts bent their heads together for as a private conversation as they could have in a room full of people who had too much curiosity for their own good.

"I must say I was surprised when Harry contacted me, but I am pleased to see that you are doing better."

"What do you want?" David asked, watching the witch with sharp blue eyes and getting right to the point.

A lip quirked with sardonic amusement, "I don't know what you are talking about."

David straightened and mocked, "I'm sorry, but I really can't accept your feelings. I'm sure the right man will come along eventually, one that'll allow for passive-aggressiveness and to be walked all over."

Amusement faded and eyes behind the wire frames became cold and stern. A snort echoed slightly, and David glared at his nephew before Minerva grabbed his attention again.

"I must question your ability to care for Harry in light of recent events."

David felt like he had been punched in the gut, and not-so-subtly placed his body between the witch and his nephew.

"I know I'm better than my half-sister."

"Yes, but would you give your life for him?"

David snorted, "No."

He didn't have to explain himself to this woman, because she had to learn how to ask the right questions.

"Then we have a problem."

"You should be asking about something other than some bogus, 'Love everything, die in glory', crap."

A moment's pause.

"Will you teach him how to survive?" She was learning, but not quickly enough.

David snorted, "He was merely _surviving_ my half-sister and in the hell-hole you call a school. There is a difference between living and surviving."

She was silent for a moment and a small, approving smile crossed her face. "You will teach him to live."

"A ghost cannot teach the living what it means to be alive, but I'll give him the means to figure it out on his own. And that's better than anything anyone has ever given him."

McGonagall nodded, her eyes warm as she regarded the pair before her. David Hodges probably didn't even realize how protective he was looking at this moment, with a concerned Harry Potter being shielded behind him. And though she knew he had said he wouldn't die for his nephew, there was no doubt in her mind that he would do whatever was necessary to keep Harry safe from whatever threats he perceived there to be. Even if that meant taking on the Dark Lord or the entire Wizarding World itself.

"Thank you." She said simply, relieved that the boy she had grown so fond of in his years at Hogwarts _finally_ had blood that actually gave a damn. David blinked, wondering what in the hell had just happened.

McGonagall turned to Harry, "Make sure your uncle stays away from magic, for the time being. Poppy's not exactly sure how it may affect him since she healed him…"

She ignored David's sputtered "There will be side-effects?!"

"Yes, ma'am." Harry said with the cheeky grin that most definitely came from his father's side of the family. She gave them a nod, and quietly left them to their celebration. Minerva had nothing to worry about now, after all.

Silence pervaded the apartment, and even though they had tried to eavesdrop, the Lab Rats (plus Mrs. Jacobs and one Nick Stokes) had only been able to tell what the conversation had been about from David's body language. Earlier, he looked like a wolf protecting a cub, but now David looked like he simply wanted to fall over with exhaustion as he slumped onto the couch.

So when Mrs. Jacobs broke the silence, everyone jumped.

"Cheating on me, now are you?"

"One gal for every day of the week." David mumbled back as Archie popped in the DVD and life resumed to the party.

And later, even though their relationship was still so very, incredibly rocky, David felt at peace for the first time in a long time when Harry fell asleep curled up next to him as the rest of his friends (_that's what they called themselves, anyways_) were entranced (_well, Archie was_) by the adventures of Star Trek on his TV. And it didn't hurt that Nick Stokes was curled up on the other side of him, so even though he had been put through hell, David was sure this would be the silver lining if he believed in such a thing.

-------

Q is love. Period.

I don't watch Star Trek, but if it's on and I see Q, I'll watch it. Because he's like David but with god powers. This was going to be longer, but it's pushing 20 pages and I'm sure you all are tired of reading. I did want to put in the Rats visiting David in the hospital, more Harry/David time at the hospital, and David going back to work. But pretty much everything I wanted to do can be done elsewhere.

I only did a cursory look over for editing, so if you notice any mistakes, please let me know so I can fix this.


End file.
